the Marauders: year one: Secret
by Silverspiritowl
Summary: Before Harry Potter was even an idea there were four boys. They became friends and legendary pranksters known as the Marauders. But every story has a beginning and this one begins with four 11 year old boys. And a secret... I do not own Harry Potter. Rated T for language and pre-teens.
1. prolgue

proloque The room was quiet, it had been hours since Harry had put the kids to bed and Ginny had nodded off not long after. Harry turned to the nightstand and opened the drawer, pulling out a glass bottle full of an odd silvery substance. He slipped out of the bed he shared with Ginny and careful of making any noise, left the room. Harry stepped into the small room he had claimed as his office in the house. There, hidden inside a large closet, was a familiar stone basin. Dumbledore's pensieve was hidden there, Harry had taken it from Hogwarts immediately following the war with the permission of McGonagall, the new Headmistress. Lifting the bottle he recalled how he had acquired it.

Earlier that day At the Auror Offices, Harry received a call for an emergency at Remus's old flat. The old thing had yet to be resold and since both Harry and the absent minded owner had been avoiding it, it had never been emptied of Remus's stuff.

"Alright, I'll be there soon." Harry told the rather frantic sounding witch on the phone. He sighed. Harry knew that he had been avoiding the flat and that a visit was long past due even if only to get rid of the stuff in it but he really did not want to go to a place that would remind him so much of the last Marauder. Rubbing his face, Harry stood and grabbed his wand then headed to the Aperation point. With a spin he was headed for the flat.

Seconds later Harry landed on the doorstep. Remus's flat had remained untouched since Remus's death seven years ago. A deep layer of dust covered everything and there were cobwebs everywhere. There were already footprints in the dust covering the floor and so Harry followed them into Remus's bedroom.

"Hello?" Harry called into the dim room, "is anyone in here?" a thump and a squeak answered his question.

"Hello" a faint voice called back from deeper in the room. "Who is it?"

"I'm here to help you." Harry responded. He then followed the sound to the closet where he found a muggle teen cowering behind the bed.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't want to come in but my friends dared me and... and... Please! I'm sorry! Make it go away! Ahh, ahh!" She sobbed, panicked and tried to hid behind Harry, away from the bogart that had taken up residence in Remus's trunk which lay open on the floor. CRASH. In her frantic scrambling to get away from the bogart she knocked down a precariously placed screen, sending it crashing to the ground with a massive crash. Something silvery gleamed through the room from where the screen had been. Harry turned back to the situation at hand.

"Ridiculous." He banished the bogart before turning to the girl.

"Stupify." He knocked her out and then turned to the silver gleam. It was a glass bottle, about a liter in volume and full of the swirling silver of memories. Harry grabbed it and then turned back to the girl.

"Obliviate."

Present Harry smiled and pull the stopper off the bottle before pouring about a seventh of the memories into Dumbledore's pensieve. He placed to bottle down on the desk then leaned forward and into the pensieve. The colors swirled then focused on a red stream. As the world spun into focus Harry saw that it was early autumn and that he was in a distinctly red and gold bedroom. Then he looked over and saw James.


	2. Chapter one: the Hogwarts Express

I don't own Harry Potter, JK Rowling does.

**Chapter One: The Hogwarts Express**

James Potter was different things according to different people. He said that he was awesome,

his parents said he was a prankster, and his teachers said he was a nightmare.

It was the first of September and his alarm had just gone off.

"A few more minutes..." he fumbled with the alarm before rolling over.

He suddenly bolted upright and out of bed. Pulling on the red tee shirt and jeans he had left out last night he bolted down the stairs lugging his trunk.

"Mum, Dad! G'morning!" James called as he burst into the kitchen. His father looked up from his copy of the Daily Prophet and his Mum glanced away from the stove where she was finishing up a rather large breakfast of eggs, sausage and toast.

"Good morning James, are you ready to go?" She smiled up at him. James abandoned his trunk by the foot of the stairs and plonked himself in one of the chairs around the kitchen table.

"Yup, I finished packing yesterday!" His Mum smiled fondly at him while dishing the food onto their plates before reaching over and ruffling his wild hair.

"Mum, you're wrecking it!" He wailed dramatically.

Mrs. Potter was a smaller woman, just slightly on the plump side, with long auburn hair tied up in a loose bun and a warm patient smile. She currently had her wand stuck in her bun and was telling James what a great time he was sure to have at Hogwarts.

Mr. Potter was a bit different. He was a rather lanky man, with square glasses and the dark Potter hair that never laid flat and welcoming smile with more than just a hint of mischief in it. He was currently nodding at something but whether it was what his wife was saying or something in the paper was unknown.

Mrs. Potter glanced up at the old clock just above the fireplace and gasped.

"Charlus, its time to go." Charlus sighed and folded up his paper before standing and grinning at James.

"Well then, ready?" he asked. James grinned wildly back at him before jumping up and pulling on a gold and red sweater, grabbing one last slice of toast then, dragging his truck, hurrying after his father. Mrs. Potter smiled after them for a second then pulled off her apron and followed them.

Platform 9 and 3/4 was packed. Looking around James saw more people than he could keep track of and pretty much no one he knew. About ten feet to his right he saw a rather wide woman fussing over a plump blond boy of approximately his age who looked utterly terrified of leaving.

"Oh Peter, you'll be fine, Mummy promises." James rolled his eyes and looked away, feeling rather sorry for the poor kid.

To his left he heard others talking.

"Crawling with so much filth, it's disgusting."

"I know, Walburga. I only hope that it does not affect him greatly, after all, you know how he is..." James turned and saw a group of three standing there. The man and woman were both tall with straight black hair and aristocratic features that would have been beautiful if not for the sneers of disgust on their faces. The boy looked like a miniature version of them, right down to the sour expression.

"James!" he heard his mum call, "It's time to go!" He turned back to her and she grabbed him in a tight embrace.

"Mum!" He wailed, "Let go! You're embarrassing me!" He squirmed and tried desperately to escape. She just hugged him harder.

"Have a great year and study hard. Also, behave." She leaned over and kissed him on the head. James squeezed her back.

"Love you mum. Good bye." She let go of him and his father gave him a hug.

"Have a great year James. Also, studying isn't everything to have some fun." While he was saying this James felt his dad slip something into his pocket. He looked up at his dad who simply grinned and held a finger to his lips. Then he turned and dragged his trunk onto the train.

"Have a good year and promise to write!" His mum called after him. He turned around and gave her a thumbs up before heading into the train to find a compartment just as the whistle blew and the train started to move.

James wandered through the crowded passageway dragging his trunk. All of the compartments that he had seen so far were full so he continued down the train. He eventually found one that was not completely packed. There were two people inside, the plump blond boy from the platform and a tall sandy haired boy who seemed to be asleep. He looked over at the blond,

"Can I sit here? It's the only place left." The other boy nodded. "Cool." James then began the task of getting his trunk up on the rack. After about four tries and many squished toes, he succeeded and sat down next to the sleeping boy.

"I'm James" He held out a hand, "You?" The other boy leaned forward and shook it.

"I'm Peter Pettigrew." Just then they heard the sound of someone running and pulling something heavy in the hallway and getting closer.

BAM

The door to their compartment was thrown open with a massive crash and both boys jumped. Even the other sleeping one twitched.

A boy stood in the door for a second before stepping in and slamming it closed behind him. He was muttering rather loudly to himself.

"... Finally got away for them, the arrogant sods..." He turned and saw the others staring at him.

"Hi, do you lot mind if I sit here too?" He asked. They both shook their heads and the strange boy sat down.

He was a taller boy with the dark aristocratic looks of the other family that James had seen on the platform. In fact, he looked like a mirror image of the son with the exception of the rather crazy grin spread across his face. James leaned towards him.

"Hi, I'm James, who're you?" He extended his hand. The other boy leaned over and shook James's hand.

"I'm Sirius." They both grinned at each other then turned to the door through which voices could be heard.

"No, go away. I don't want to talk to you." A girl's voice carried through.

" But..." A boy's voice said.

"But nothing! Go away!" The door to their compartment flew open. In the entrance stood the prettiest girl James had ever seen. She had long red hair and vibrant green eyes that, James saw, were bright with tears.

" Hi, I'm James. Are you ok?" He leaned toward her feeling concerned.

"I'm fine." She snapped, dashing some of her tears away.

"Um, ok" James held up his hands and leaned back. The girl glared at him then sat down in between Peter and the window before leaning against the glass and continue to cry.

James turned back to Sirius.

"So, looking forward to first year?" He asked. Sirius grinned.

"Oh yeah, wanna guess what we could find in that castle?" James grinned back.

"I bet there's at least one secret hidden away in there!" Just then the door to the compartment opened again. This time it was a boy their age, already in his school robes with a hooked nose and overlong black hair that looked like it had never seen shampoo. He sat down next to the sleeping kid, across from the red headed girl. The three boys who had already been there turned to listen to whatever these two were discussing.

"... Hates me. Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore." The girl was crying harder now. James looked at Sirius who merely shrugged.

"So what?" The girl glared at the greasy kid.

"So she's my sister!" James and Sirius shared a look of supreme confusion.

"She's only a-" The greasy kid caught himself before the girl, who was now trying to dry her eyes, heard him. He suddenly perked up.

"But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" she smiled. James was enthralled. He then realized that the kid was talking again.

"...better be in Slytherin." James couldn't help it.

"Slytherin?" James thought of that house with scorn. There was no way that the pretty girl would end up in that snake pit. "Who wants to be in Slytherin?" He turned to Sirius. "I'd leave, wouldn't you?" Sirius, however, didn't grin back.

"My whole family have been in Slytherin." James gaped.

"Blimey" he said shocked, " and I thought you seemed all right!" Sirius grinned.

"Maybe the tradition. Where are you heading, if you've got the choice?" James grinned then theatrically lifted an invisible sword.

"'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad." The greasy kid made a small scornful noise. James turned on him. "Got a problem with that?" He snapped at the kid.

"No," said the kid, wearing a sneer. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy-" James felt like he was going to explode. However, right as he was leaning towards the kid Sirius interjected.

"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" James looked over at his new friend and roared with laughter. Then the redhead girl stood up and glared at them.

"Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment." James glanced at Sirius and then the two of them mimicked her tone.

"Ooooo" James then tried to trip the greasy boy on his way out. He then grinned at Sirius who called out after the pair.

"See ya, Snivellus!" Right as the door slammed.

James grinned at him.

"So, if you co where would you go?" Right then their door opened yet again and a plump lady pushing a trolley looked in.

"Anything off the trolley dears?" James, Sirius and Peter all jumped up. Peter accidentally kicked the sleeping boy in his haste.

"I want some Bertie Botts-"

"I'd like some pasties-"

"Can I have some of those licorice-" the three boys' voices mixed into a meaningless jumble as they each tried to get some sweets then a voice that they had not yet heard carried over all of them.

"May I have fifteen chocolate frogs please." All three of then turned to stare at the no longer sleeping boy.

About five minutes later all four boys were back in their seats, now surrounded with a venerable mountain of sweets. They all turned to the sandy haired boy. He was taller then James and rather skinny. He had the sickly flush that generally comes with stress and on closer inspection had scars covering most of his visible skin.

"So, I'm James, that's Sirius and he's Peter. You are?" James gestured to each of the other occupants of their compartment in turn before staring at the other boy. The boy swallowed the chocolate frog he had been eating and looked up. James was surprised to discover that his eyes were a weird amber color but continued to look expectantly at the other.

"I'm Remus Lupin." He said in the same soft but strangely hoarse voice. James turned back to Sirius.

"So, as I was asking earlier, where like to go, if you could chose?" He grinned at his new friend.

"Oh, I don't know, not Slytherin, that's for sure and not Hufflepuff because that's just lame and I doubt that I'm smart enough for Ravenclaw, so Gryffindor, I guess." They both turned on the other two.

"What about you guys?" Peter looked excited that he was being included again and Remus looked confused.

"I want to go to Gryffendor too but I'm not sure I'm brave enough, Dad always said I'd be a hufflepuff so I guess that's not to bad." Peter was tripping over his words in his haste to get them out.

"I never really thought about which house I would be in but Ravenclaw and Gryffendor sound ok, I guess..." And with that Remus turned back to his book. James stared at him in shock,

_how could someone not have thought about their house at least once!?_

Just then their door was pushed open by a older student.

"We'll be arriving soon so you lot should change." And then the door shut leaving the four boys to look at each other in shock and begin to dig out their robes.

Just as Peter finished pulling on his robes the train shuddered to a stop and the students began to pour out.

hey, sorry this took so long.


End file.
